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P. GIFFARD. APPARATUS FOR CHARGING MAGAZINES WITH- LIQUBFIBD GAS. No.475,728. Patented May 24, 1892.

No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. GIPPARD.- APPARATUS FOR CHARGING MAGAZINES WITH LIQUEFIBD GAS.

No. 475,728. Patented May 24, 1892.

jn'venion A PauZ 63f a m;

afibrlwy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL GIFFARD, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTERNATIONAL (GIFFARD)GUN AND ORDNANOE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,728, dated May 24,1892.

Application filed August 2, 1890. Serial No. 360,738- (No model.)Patented in France May 31, 1390. 2 ill Belgium July 3, 1890, No. 91.125,and in England July 3, 1890, No. 10,308.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PAUL GIFFARD, of Paris, in the Republic of France,have invented a new Improvement in Charging Magazines with LiquefiedGas, (patented in France May 31, 1890, No. 206,020; in Belgium July3,1800, No. 91,125, and in Great Britain July 3, 1890, No. 10,308,) andI do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection withaccompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to bea full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which saiddrawings c011- stitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a longitudinal section of a gunmagazine which this inventionis adapted to charge. Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal centralsection of the apparatus, the figure represented as broken bothvertically and longitudinally for convenience of illustration.

This invention relates to an apparatus for charging magazines withliquefied gas for use in guns and similar purposes. The magazine such asthis apparatus is designed to charge is illustrated in Fig. 1 andconsists of a tube a, made from metal of a strength to withstand thepressure and of a size corresponding'to the arm or purpose for which themagazine is designed. The magazine is closed at one end and open at theother end, the open end being closed by a valve b,arranged to openinward against the pressure of the magazine, and is also provided with aspring 0, which yieldingly holds the valve in the closed position. Theend of the magazine is screw-threaded, as shown, for the convenientattachment of the magazine to the gun. The gun for which such a magazineis specially designed is an invention of mine and for which LettersPatent of the United States No. 452,882, dated May 27, 1891, weregranted to me. The gas with which the magazine is to be charged is whatis commonly called liquefied gas that is to say, gas, such as, forillustration, carbonic-acid gas, compressed to liquefactionand themagazine is of a size to contain suflioient gas for many charges, and itis arranged in the gun so that the blow of'the hammer will open thevalve for a length of time sufficient only to permit the requisiteamount of gas for a single charge to escape. The magazines are preparedand furnished to users of the gun and may be sold in the market ascommon cartridges are sold. It is found inipracticable to charge thesemagazines direct from the compressor.

The object of this invention is an apparatus by which the magazine maybe practically charged; and it consists in the apparatus as hereinafterdescribed, and particularly recited in the claims.

The apparatus for charging the magazines is illustrated in Fig. 2.

R representsa reservoir, preferably of metal, and of great strength,sufiicient to withstand the required pressure. The reservoir is providedwith a valve for the inlet and outlet of the gas, and, as hererepresented, this consists of a stopper B, screwed into a passageleading into the reservoir, and preferably with a semihard-rubbervalve-seat b. The valve S is of metal and adapted to be forced againstthe packing b by a coiled spring S, which takes a seat on a shoulder Gbelow the valve and so as to bear upwardly against the valve at one endto yieldingly hold it upon its seat, and so that the valve may openinward from a pressure from the outside. In the passage into thereservoir and above the valve is a stuffing-box V, preferably of hardrubber, and through which a metal spindle T passes, the spindle beingfitted with a handletfor operating it. The rod T is adapted to bear uponthe valve and is screwed into the gland D, and so that by turning thehandle 25 in one direction the valve may be forcibly opened against thepressure of its spring or pressure from within the reservoir, and so asto permit the introduction of the gas or the escape of such gas, as thecase may be. Surrounding the reservoir R is atank or vessel adapted tocontain hot water or other medium, which should be at a temperature offrom 45 to centigrade. From the reservoir above the valve and below thestuffing-box a conductor or channel C leads into a head M, one end ofwhich is fitted to receive the cartridge-case, which may be set thereinas shown. The head M is provided with a spindle O, terminating at itsinner end in a conical shape and is provided with a suitable head orhandle by which it may be rotated. The channel 0 opens into a passageFin the head M, and the conical end of the spindle O is adapted to closethat passage above the channel. A tank is provided, as shown, filledwith cold water or other medium at a temperature of about 15 centigrade,so that the magazine to be charged may be immersed therein, as SllOWIL-Above the seat upon which the spindle O rests to close the passage F isan outlet 0', and so that if the passage F be opened by raising thespindle 0 there will be an outward communication from the passage Fthrough the outlet 0.

The reservoir is charged with liquefied gas in any convenient manner bydisconnecting the channel 0 or through that channel or by any convenientor suitable means, and having been charged it is immersed in the hotmedium, as before described, and the magazine to be charged is attachedto the head M, the passage F being closed. Then by opening the valve ofthe reservoir liquid carbonic-acid gas will pass through the channel 0in a gaseous state into the magazine, the valve of the magazine readilyopening for such discharge of the gas therein, and in the magazine itbecomes liquefied, owing to the difierence in temperature, and at oncecompletely fills the magazine with liquefied carbonic-acid gas. Whenthis filling has been completed, the valve of the reservoir is closedand then the spindle O is raised as quickly as may be. The gas containedin the passage between the reservoir and the magazine escapes throughthe outlet 0' and this permits the gas Within the magazine to actautomatically to close its valve and so as to secure the liquefied gaswithin the magazine. This done, the magazineis removed and anotherapplied to be filled in like manner. A suitable washer n is applied inthe recess 12, formed in the end of the head to receive the magazine andwhich will serve as apacking between the magazine and the head.

While it is preferred to employ the spindle O and the outlet 0' as ameans for permitting the escape of the gas in the passage aftercharging, these may be omitted and the gas escape gradually as themagazine is being re moved.

I claim- 1. The herein described apparatus fol chargingmagazinesforgunswithliquefiedgas, consisting of a reservoir adapted tocontain liquefied gas,a tank within which said reservoir is placed, anda heating medium in said tank around the reservoir, the temperature ofwhich medium is 45 to 50 centigrade, combined with a second tank, acooling medium in said tank at a temperature of about 15 centigrade, ahead over said second tank, a conductor leading from the gas-reservoirto the head over said second tank, a valve between the said head and thegas-reservoir, whereby communication from the gas-reservoir through theconductor may be opened or closed with the magazine to be charged, thehead and magazine constructed for removablyattaching the magazine to thehead, the communication through the conductor and head opening into themagazine so attached, and the arrangement of the head with relation tothe said second or cooling tank being such that the magazine is held bythe head suspended in said tank, substantially as described.

2. The herein described apparatus for charging magazines with liquefiedgas, consisting of a reservoir adapted to contain liquefied gas,andatank within which the said reservoir is placed, the tank beingfilled around the reservoir with a heating medium at a temperature of 45to 50 centi grade, provided with a valve in the reservoir adapted toopen and close the passage thereto or therefrom, combined with a secondtank adapted to re ceive the magazine, the said second tank containingacooling medium surrounding the magazine, at a temperature of about 15centigrade, ahead to which the said magazine may be attached with aconnection between the said head and the said reservoir above the valveof the reservoir, with a valve in a head above the passage through whichcommunication is made from the reservoir, and an outlet through the headabove the valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

. PAUL GIFFARD.

Witnesses:

R. J. PRESTON, ALBERT COHEN.

